This invention relates to electronic program guides, and more particularly, to promotional techniques for program guides.
Electronic program guides are used to provide program listings information to television viewers. Program listings information may include program titles, scheduled broadcast times and channels, program descriptions, etc.
One form of electronic program guide is the passive television program guide. Passive television program guides, such as the TV Guide Channel, are typically provided by cable system head-ends or other television distribution facilities on a dedicated television channel. Passive program guides may provide program listings in the form of an automatically scrolling or paged list. Viewers may access the listings of the passive program guide by tuning to the appropriate dedicated television channel with a standard television or set-top box.
Another form of electronic program guide is the interactive television program guide. Interactive television program guides, such as TV Guide Interactive and Gemstar Guide Plus, are typically implemented on set-top boxes or other user television equipment with suitable processing circuitry. Users typically interact with such interactive television program guides using a remote control. Features that are often offered by interactive television program guides include the capability to set favorite channels or programs, the capability to set reminders for programs of interest, and the ability to establish parental controls.
Yet another form of electronic program guide is the on-line television program guide. On-line television program guides, such as TV Guide Online, allow users to access program listings information over the Internet using a web browser or similar interface. When using these guides, users frequently may click on program titles within the guides to view additional information such as a detailed program description.
All of these variations of electronic program guides provide program listings information to their viewers or users in the form of text. This can be seen in passive products such as the TV Guide Channel or Americast's passive program guide, both of which feature a text-based scrolling grid of listings. Text-based listings are also seen in Internet guides such as the GIST on-line program guide and the Click TV on-line program guide. Text-based listings are also seen in interactive program guides such as Starsight and Americast interactive program guides.
Nevertheless, there is a need for a more aesthetically pleasing and eye-catching methods for presenting electronic program guides. Preferably these methods would incorporate program listings that are easy to identify and that indicate relationships between sponsors and celebrities of those programs.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an electronic program guide that presents program listings as graphical images that can meet these needs.